Art audiobooks

This Happy Breed (Classic Radio Theatre)

By: Noel Coward

Narrated by: Full Cast, John Moffatt & Rosemary Leach

Length: 1 hour 26 minutes

Abridged: No

This Happy Breed opens in 1919, when the Gibbons family have just moved to their smart new home in the suburbs of South London. Against a background of social change and national upheaval spanning twenty years, the family celebrate their own triumphs and deal with their personal traumas. Coward’s moving and humourous production, showing what... Read more

The Holly And The Ivy (Classic Radio Theatre)

By: Wynyard Browne

Narrated by: Stephen Murray, Geoffrey Beevers, John Samson, ...

Length: 1 hour 28 minutes

Abridged: No

A BBC Radio 4 production of Wynyard Browne’s classic play about a 1950s family homecoming at Christmas.
It is Christmas Eve and the family are gathering at Reverend Martin Gregory’s Norfolk vicarage. A soldier son destined for Oxbridge, two elderly aunts with a passion for chatter, a cousin with a military background and a pair of daughters who... Read more

Winslow Boy, The (Classic Radio Theatre)

By: Terrence Rattigan

Narrated by: Full Cast, Michael Aldridge, Michael Maloney, P...

Length: 1 hour 27 minutes

Abridged: No

‘It is easy to do justice - very hard to do right.’ When he is accused of stealing a five-shilling postal order, fourteen-year-old Ronnie Winslow is expelled from naval college. But his father believes his claim of innocence and, determined to clear his name, engages the most famous barrister in England to fight his case. It is up to Sir... Read more

Charles And Mary

By: Carlo Gebler

Narrated by: Lia Williams & Paul Rhys

Length: 1 hour 28 minutes

Abridged: No

A BBC Radio 3 play exploring the extraordinary relationship between brother and sister Charles and Mary Lamb, the writers of 'The Tales of Shakespeare' (1807), the seminal children's introduction to Shakespeare, which is still in print. Originally broadcast as part of the 'Drama on 3' series on 16 January 2011. Although their publication is of... Read more

Franz Liszt

By: Gerhard Tötschinger

Narrated by: Gerhard Tötschinger

Length: 1 hour 18 minutes

Abridged: No

Stationen eines faszinierenden Künstlerlebens "Franz Liszt ist jetzt wieder hier und gibt Konzerte, die einen Zauber üben, der ans Fabelhafte grenzt", berichtete Heinrich Heine aus Paris im Jahr 1841. Sein dänischer Kollege Hans Christian Andersen schrieb nach dem Besuch eines Liszt-Konzerts in Hamburg ebenso enthusiastisch: "Wie ein... Read more

Bandologie – wie man als Musiker seine Band zum Erfolg führt

By: Nils Kolonko

Narrated by: Nils Kolonko

Length: 8 hours 40 minutes

Abridged: No

Bandologie vermittelt gesammeltes Wissen für den Erfolg als Musiker im Musikbusiness. Das Buch gibt spezielle und umsetzbare Tipps zum Thema Selbstvermarktung für Musiker. Geschrieben von Nils Kolonko, Ex-Produktmanager einer Plattenfirma, Musiker, Bandcoach und Musikbusiness-Workshopleiter. Das Buch enthält: Über 50 Beispiele aus der Praxis des... Read more

A Spectacle of Dust

By: Pete Postlethwaite

Narrated by: Philip Jackson

Length: 9 hours 11 minutes

Abridged: No

After training as a teacher, Pete Postlethwaite started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher and Julie Walters. After routine early appearances in small parts for television programmes such as THE PROFESSIONALS, Postlethwaite's first success came with the... Read more

A Brief History Of Mathematics

By: Marcus du Sautoy

Narrated by: Marcus du Sautoy

Length: 2 hours 13 minutes

Abridged: No

This ten-part history of mathematics reveals the personalities behind the calculations: the passions and rivalries of mathematicians struggling to get their ideas heard. Professor Marcus du Sautoy shows how these masters of abstraction find a role in the real world and proves that mathematics is the driving force behind modern science.

He... Read more

Payback (BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play)

By: Jonathan Myerson

Narrated by: Full Cast, Henry Goodman, Peter Marinker & Sara...

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

It is 6th October 1973. Golda Meir has become Prime Minister of Israel in her seventies. Syrian and Egyptian troops are massing on Israel's borders, but despite eleven warnings of impending war in the past month, the Israeli cabinet has not called up the reserve. In Florida, Richard Nixon awaits the final verdict of the Washington Appeal court... Read more

The Need For Nonsense

By: Julia Blackburn

Narrated by: Alexi Kaye-Campbell, Andrew Sachs, James Rastal...

Length: 43 minutes

Abridged: No

Julia Blackburn's play captures the warm, heartfelt and comic story of the Victorian poet and painter Edward Lear's lifelong friendship with his eccentric Greek servant, Giorgio, who inspired him to address the painful truths in his life while making us laugh. Stars Andrew Sachs as Edward Lear and Alexi Kaye-Campbell as Giorgio Kokalis. Also... Read more

Shock Value

By: Jason Zinoman

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

Length: 8 hours 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Much has been written about the storied New Hollywood of the 1970s, but while Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Copola were making their first classic movies, a parallel universe of directors gave birth to the modern horror film—aggressive, raw, and utterly original. Based on unprecedented access to the genre's major players,... Read more

Beyond Westminster Lessons Learnt From Coalitions Past

By: Andrew Rawnsley

Narrated by: Andrew Rawnsley

Length: 27 minutes

Abridged: No

The special New Year's Day 2011 edition of BBC Radio 4's 'Beyond Westminster', in which Andrew Rawnsley considers the lessons of history for Britain's coalition government - and its opponents. Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers are busily advancing their ambitious political and economic agenda - albeit amid parliamentary revolts and... Read more

The Dos And Don'ts For The Mentally Interesting

By: Louise Ramsden

Narrated by: Full Cast, Janice Acquah, Joseph Kloska, Philip...

Length: 43 minutes

Abridged: No

A BBC Radio 4 drama by Louise Ramsden, based on Seaneen Molloy's blog 'The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive', her account of learning to live and love with bipolar disorder. Originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 8 May 2009. Facing life as a newly-diagnosed manic depressive, Seaneen fears that Rob has become more nurse than boyfriend,... Read more

Like Minded People (BBC Radio 4: Friday Play)

By: David Eldridge

Narrated by: Tom Brooke & Ruth Wilson

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

This BBC Radio 4 'Friday Play' is a heady mix of marriage, class, and politics, as Gillian and Ray attempt to keep their relationship alive over 25 years of social change. Starring Ruth Wilson and Tom Brooke, Like Minded People was originally broadcast on 4 February 2011.
Gillian and Ray meet at University. She's from a privileged background... Read more

My Dear Children Of The Whole World

By: Hugh Costello

Narrated by: Hugh Ross & Nick Dunning

Length: 56 minutes

Abridged: No

Vatican City, December 1942. As war rages across the globe, Pope Pius XII prepares to deliver his annual Christmas message. It is perhaps the most important public address he will ever give. This BBC Radio 4 play explores the Pontiff's thoughts as he faces the starkest dilemma of his reign. Originally broadcast as the 'Saturday Play' on 29... Read more

It’s Not Me, It’s You! - Abridged

By: Jon Richardson

Narrated by: Jon Richardson

Length: 3 hours 16 minutes

Abridged: Yes

A control freak looks for love (women who leave wet teaspoons in sugar bowls need not apply). ‘I haven’t woken up with a cup of tea by the bed for seven years. It seems such a small thing but it’s one of a thousand things I miss about having someone around to take care of me. I have spent my entire adult life getting things... Read more

Brought to Justice

By: Editors of Life Magazine

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

Length: 1 hour 29 minutes

Abridged: No

May 2, 2011 marked the completion of a mission that had begun even before the devastating day of September 11, 2001. Brought to Justice is a riveting, dramatic, informed and sometimes surprising illustrated portrait of Osama bin Laden and America's efforts to find him and track him down.

At pivotal moments in world events, readers have long... Read more

Professional Idiot

By: Stephen Steve-O Glover

Narrated by: Stephen Steve-O Glover, Stu Stone & Full Cast

Length: 10 hours

Abridged: No

From his early days videotaping crazy skateboard stunts to starring in the Jackass movies, there was little that Stephen "Steve-O" Glover wouldn't do.Whether it was stapling his nutsack to his leg or diving into a pool full of elephant crap, almost nothing was out of bounds. As the stunts got crazier, his life kept pace. He developed a crippling... Read more

What The Minister Saw (BBC Radio 4)

By: Philip Mould

Narrated by: Philip Mould

Length: 13 minutes

Abridged: No

Art historian Philip Mould discusses the art chosen by Government ministers in this BBC Radio 4 broadcast from 26 January 2011. Becoming a Minister has many perks, but one they can see every day is the art hanging in their office, often borrowed from the Government Art Collection. Art historian Philip Mould speaks to new ministers about what... Read more

Market: Loco Parentis

By: Gary Brown

Narrated by: Bobby Knutt, Ellie Meigan-Rose, Gerard Fletcher...

Length: 43 minutes

Abridged: No

'Market' is an umbrella series of six plays, originally broadcast in BBC Radio 4's 'Afternoon Play' slot, about people who work in and around its stalls. Each story is a self-contained quirky tale. 'Loco Parentis' is a bitter-sweet comedy about Jim, who can't sleep because his daughter's left for uni, his business is going belly-up, and his... Read more

The Hare with Amber Eyes

By: Edmund de Waal

Narrated by: Micheal Maloney

Length: 10 hours 37 minutes

Abridged: No

A New York Times Bestseller
An Economist Book of the Year
Costa Book Award Winner for Biography
Galaxy National Book Award Winner (New Writer of the Year Award)

Edmund de Waal is a world-famous ceramicist. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots—which are then sold, collected, and handed on—he has a particular sense of the... Read more

The People's Princess

By: Shelagh Stephenson

Narrated by: Alex Jennings, Chris McHallem, Jill Cardo, Juli...

Length: 43 minutes

Abridged: No

A BBC Radio 4 play about the marriage of George, Prince of Wales, originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 11 December 2008 (and repeated on 9 December 2010). Facing financial ruin, George was obliged by his father, George III, to marry his first cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. But if he had been expecting a docile partner with... Read more

A Soldier Returns

By: Terry Burstall

Narrated by: Peter Hosking

Length: 6 hours 44 minutes

Abridged: No

The Vietnamese looked on Long Tan as a key victory for them, and in the sequel to The Soldiers' Story, Terry Burstall makes a veteran's emotional journey back to the battlefield after twenty-five years. Read more

Those Guys Have All the Fun

By: Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller

Narrated by: James Andrew Miller, Matt McCarthy & Joan Baker

Length: 27 hours 56 minutes

Abridged: No

In the exclusive behind the scenes look, sports fans can unlock the fascinating history of the channel that changed the way people watch and interact with their favorite teams.
It began, in 1979, as a mad idea of starting a cable channel to televise local sporting events throughout the state of Connecticut. Today, ESPN is arguably the most... Read more